I Knew I Loved You
by ladykaylee
Summary: Short little fic about Hermione remembering the final battle against Voldemort, and Harry's proposal to Hermione. One-Shot HHr, and some RLuna


_Maybe it's intuition_

_But something's you just don't question_

_Like in your eyes I see my future in an instant_

_And there it goes, I think I found my best friend_

Hermione Granger was the kind of person that loved her work. She loved the prospect of being a Healer. Sure, it wasn't the place she suspected life would take her, but after the fall of Voldemort, she knew it was what she needed to do. She had lost too many loved ones, and had been helpless by their side as she watched their lives slip away from her, unable to do anything. She would not let someone else's Ron Weasley or someone else's Luna Lovegood die. Not if she could help it.

She thought briefly of that fateful day in seventh year. It seemed so long ago, yet at the same time, as if it were only yesterday. Voldemort had launched a full fledged attack on Hogwarts, and to this day no one _knew_ how he got in. But how he got in was of trivial importance after that day, for that day was too costly for any of them to imagine.

The prophecy held true. It was what had promised to be a pleasant summer night, when the doors of the Great Hall rumbled, crashing open to reveal several hooded figures flanking a cloaked, pale, snake-like man: Voldemort The battle was too horrible for Hermione to recall. But the images seemed to flood her mind. Ron and she had stood defiantly beside Harry, though he continued to plead at the top of his lungs for them to get out of the way. It was when Hermione saw the tears in his eyes that she knew this was the real deal.

"This is between me and him… there's nothing you can do to help me, whether I wanted you to or not… please!"

Hermione choked up and she tugged at Ron's sleeve to pull him away. Ron was about to give in, when Voldemort spoke again.

"You are pathetic, Harry… just look at you… blubbering like an idiot over a Mudblood and a disgrace? Really, I thought you could sink no lower…" he spoke as he moved over to Harry. But instead of cursing him, he punched him, hard across the face, and Harry, out of surprise; fell to the ground in a heap.

Ever since that fateful day, Hermione lived on believing that she could have stopped him. She could've pulled him back, hexed him, done anything to stop what Ron did… but she couldn't stop what Luna was going to do. Ron stepped forward, his wand stretched out before him ready to hurl whatever hex he could at the Dark Lord. He was going to get himself killed. Out of the corner of his red eye, Voldemort saw him, and his mouth curved up into a menacing smile that Ron failed to see… Luna, however, did see…

"Avada Kedavra!"

"No!"

A blast of green light issued forth from Voldemort's wand, and in its power, everyone heard the rush of speeding death as the curse took its effect, but Ron never fell to the ground. He never made a sound. He just stood there trying to figure out what had happened, and why his girlfriend Luna Lovegood was lying lifeless on the floor.

_I know that it might sound more than a little crazy but I believe_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

Hermione felt her knees hit the ground, disbelief over coming her, tears clouding her vision. She couldn't have moved if she wanted. And oh, how she wanted to move as she saw Ron cradle Luna, let her go, and advance towards Voldemort. By the time Hermione blinked, Ron was lying on the floor, his head next to Luna's.

Killing Ron and Luna was the stupidest thing that Voldemort could have ever done. Voldemort sealed his own fate when he chose to kill them. Harry didn't say a word, but the look on his face was enough.

The battle lasted nearly four hours. Four hours of the most powerful curses being hurled at each other. Four hours of agony as a few unsuspecting students that had been too petrified to flee were hit with ricocheted Avada Kedavras, falling to the ground like dominoes. Four long hours until Harry Potter finally defeated him

Both she and Harry ran to the lifeless bodies of their lost friends. Harry couldn't take it anymore. With his wand in his hand, he let out a roaring scream of anguish and grief, as he let the tears fall for his fallen best friend. A jet of white light issued from the tip of his wand, burning a hole trough the castle wall to the outside. Hermione reached out to him, holding his face in her hands holding him close, working every spell she could to bring Ron and Luna back to life, but it was too late, they were gone…

_There's just no rhyme or reason_

_Only the sense of completion_

_And in your eyes I see the missing pieces_

_I'm searching for, I think I found my way home_

Her head throbbed painfully. Since that day she had devoted herself to becoming a Healer, and she loved her work, except for today. Today was one of the few days in Hermione's life when she went home, disgruntled and royally pissed off with her boss. She inserted the key to the loft that she and Harry had moved into last year.

"Harry?"

But she was only greeted by silence.

_I know that it might sound more than a little, crazy but I believe_

_Great… my one source of comfort… _she thought dully. Placing her bag on the couch, she noticed something glinting on the floor near the base of the stairs leading up to the bedroom. When she moved over to it, she saw that it was a glimmering white rose petal. She picked it up. It felt warm to the touch. Looking at the staircase, she found that there were three or four petals just like it on each step, as far as she could see, leading all the way to the top. She climbed the stairs, wondering what the hell was going on. At the base of her bedroom door, she saw a single red shimmering petal on the floor.

Curious, she opened it….

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

Her room seemed to be shining with its own inner light, white and red shimmering rose petals were strewn across the floor and on her bed, but in the center, they seemed to be in an order. A large circle of white petals, on top of which there was a smaller circle of red ones, and so it went on to the very core of the bed, where, lying on a single red rose petal was…

A diamond ring

She picked it up, her breath becoming shallow as her heart began to race, her eyes clouding over with tears. She looked out the window at the head of the bed, and in the reflection she could see him, standing behind her, a soft smile on his face.

Hermione turned around

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

She watched as he bent down on one knee, looking up at her. She didn't know what to say. He reached over and gently grabbed the hand she was holding the ring in. Opening her grip, he lightly slipped the ring on her finger, and looked at her, his mouth unable to form the words 'Will you marry me.' For a minute or so, everything was still, and then Hermione bent down and kissed him, tears coursing their way down her cheeks. He breathed a sigh of relief, and cradled her body in his arms, picking her up and spinning her around. When he stopped, he put her down gently and held her tight…

"God…. You were quiet for so long, I thought you were going to say 'no'…" he said, nuzzling his face in the base of her neck, breathing in her scent of vanilla and roses. She laughed, sniffling a little bit and pulling away to face him.

"Never…"

"Oh man, I promised myself I'd do it right! Okay… ahem… Hermione will you-"

"Yes…"

"But I haven't finished!" he protested childishly, an innocent grin appearing on his face.

"You don't have to Harry…"

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I think I dreamed you into life_

_I knew I loved you before I met you_

_I have been waiting all my life_

"I love you Hermione…"

"I love you too…"

He cradled her face with his hands and kissed her gently, savoring the moment of his proposal, happiness overcoming him as he realized he would spend the rest of his life with her…

And from the heavens above, the souls of Ron Weasley and Luna Lovegood watched on, as their two best friends lost themselves in love and passion unlike anyone would ever know, both thinking the same thing: _About bloody time…_


End file.
